As Military Bases Close, Some Eye Educational Uses

When Pentagon officials announced the planned closing of Fort Devens near Boston, many people saw an aging military facility that was no longer needed with the winding down of the Cold War.

But Norman Johnson, the dean of students at Boston University, looked at the base and saw a possible home for 100 homeless and at-risk students.

Mr. Johnson's call for transforming Fort Devens into an education center staffed by retired military personnel has yet to become a
reality. Nevertheless, his proposal has been a touchstone for a number of education and public-policy strategists who are directing increasing
attention to the possibility of using military facilities and personnel for educational and youth services.

To be sure, relationships between the military and local schools or
social-service agencies have existed for some time. But now, as the
military scales back, communities, foundations, and individuals across
the country are taking a closer look at how best to use bases and
personnel that will be removed from active duty over the next several years.

In 1990, the U.S. Defense Department announced a plan to reduce the
size of the military by 20 percent. Since 1988, 124 domestic bases have
been pegged for elimination, while more than 100 more are scheduled for
partial closure or realignment, and another set of closures is
scheduled to be finalized this year.

A New Phenomenon

The easing of superpower tensions, the changing mission of the
military, and the presence of domestic needs atop President Clinton's
list of priorities are adding impetus to efforts to utilize existing
bases and personnel to help children and students.

"This is a new phenomenon, where people are starting to look at
using military facilities and personnel that are available that may not
have been before,'' said John D. Mayer, the director of the public
policy and resources program at the Institute for Public Research.

The institute is a division of the Center for Naval Analyses
Corporation, a federally funded think tank on defense located in
Alexandria, Va.

"I think we have a great opportunity to use right now things that
have already been paid for ... to better the domestic good,'' Mr. Mayer
added. "I'm sure this is going to catch on over the next four years.''

Mr. Mayer's organization recently completed a three-month study of
the ways in which communities currently are using military resources to
serve youths and students, and how others hope to use such resources in
the future.

The authors of the report, which is scheduled to be released
publicly this month, say it is the first attempt to identify the range
of ways to link the military with children, students, and education.

"As we got into it, we realized that this is a deeper effort than
anyone has made in the past,'' Mr. Mayer said.

So far, I.P.R. researchers have identified 51 such programs across
the country that are in operation or in some form of development. They
range from simple mentoring arrangements to programs offering full care
for young people.

The 51 programs located so far are "only the tip of the iceberg,''
Mr. Mayer said. The institute plans to continue seeking a clearer
picture of the landscape of different programs across the country.

"The more I find out, the more I find out that there is more to find
out,'' said Gary E. Horne, who is leading the study.

'Pie in the Sky'

The I.P.R., which was formally established early this year as the
C.N.A.'s domestic-issues arm, began studying the feasibility of using
military facilities and personnel at the urging of Mr. Johnson, a
former rear admiral in the U.S. Navy.

Mr. Johnson had outlined his vision for the use of Fort Devens in an opinion piece published last August in The Christian Science Monitor.

In his article, Mr. Johnson proposed that 100 homeless and at-risk
youths ages 13 to 18 be housed on the base, with retired military
officers serving as supervisors. The officers would also transport the
students to their regular inner-city schools and serve as volunteers at
the schools, the plan suggested.

While it is not clear how much implementing the proposal would cost,
Mr. Johnson said it could be funded through foundation and corporate
grants and with federal assistance under such programs as the McKinney
Homeless Act, the Family Support Act of 1988, and the Foster Care Act.

William McIntosh, the director of program innovation for a group
called Business Executives for National Security, was attracted to the
proposal after reading the Monitor article. Along with Mr. Johnson, he
convened representatives of youth and veterans' groups in Boston last
November to discuss ways of fostering connections between the military and youth needs.

"A lot of pie-in-the-sky stuff,'' Mr. McIntosh conceded, "but
there's a lot of money in the system that has already been spent, and
the question is, how do you get it?''

As the I.P.R. began studying Mr. Johnson's proposal, researchers
realized that the scope of their inquiry had to be broadened.

"Our vision quickly widened because, to study any particular idea,
you need to look at a range of ideas,'' Mr. Horne said.

A National Model

Mr. Johnson's proposal for Fort Devens is the only one of the 51
programs identified in the study that suggests using both unused bases
and retired personnel. Other efforts mentioned include:

The Mentoring Partnership Program, a currently operating project in which personnel at the Kelly Air Force Base near San Antonio tutor at-risk students from the Southwest Independent School District. More than 1,000 Kelly mentors are involved with students at all grade levels.

The Austin (Tex.) Project, a planned effort under which available buildings on the Bergstrom Air Force Base, which is slated for closure, would be used for educational and health services for children and youth.

The project is headed by Walt W. Rostow, a former special assistant to President Johnson.

Mr. Rostow argued that the base would be a good location for those
services, as well as for retraining and apprenticeship programs for
older students and workers, because the military has demonstrated its
ability to teach all learners and to continue teaching and retraining
its recruits as technology and military missions have changed.

"We are intent on bringing the military into this, and we've gotten
good cooperation so far,'' he said.

A plan to house 18- through 23-year-old dropouts on the grounds
of Fort Dix, N.J., which is not scheduled to close. The plan calls for providing study toward a high school-equivalency diploma under
the General Educational Development program, training in a marketable skill, community-service opportunities, recreational activities, and
follow-up services. Teachers and supervisors would be brought in from outside the military, although qualified retired military personnel would be considered.

The quasi-military Fort Dix Academy could serve as a national model,
according to Saul Cooperman, a co-director of the program. Mr.
Cooperman, a former state education chief in New Jersey, currently
serves as the president of education programs at the Amelior Foundation.

Bridging the Gap

I.P.R. officials have also talked to Head Start providers, the
Commission on National and Community Service, the Children's Defense
Fund, and the Child Welfare League of America to explore ways the
military can serve or link up with those constituencies.

"There's a gap to be bridged between the military and the youth-services community,'' Mr. Horne said.

While discussion about these issues has not been widespread, there
appears to be a willingness among educators and lawmakers to explore
the idea.

"It's not really on the radar screen of most urban public school systems, but, as far as I'm concerned, the more the merrier,'' said Michael Casserly, the interim executive director of the Council of the Great City Schools. "If they've found a way [to help students] that the city likes, more power to them.''

An aide to Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., who chairs the Senate
Education and Labor Committee, said the senator has met with Mr.
Johnson of Boston University to discuss his proposal for the use of Fort Devens.

"It's an interesting idea,'' the aide said. "He's willing to consider this proposal and others like it.''

Vol. 12, Issue 23, Page 10

Published in Print: March 3, 1993, as As Military Bases Close, Some Eye Educational Uses

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